Healthcare targeting state government's 'weakest link'

This year’s budget is being played close to the vest — not only are the minorities, press and public being shut out, conference members are being kept largely in the dark about budget specifics, for fear that if information gets out too early, individual Senate Democrats might be spooked and derail the whole process. It would only take one Democratic senator to vote no, and the budget falls apart.

Targeting the weakness of the chamber, the Healthcare Association of New York State is placing blog and newspaper ads targeting individual Democratic senators, and sending robocalls out in their districts as well.

“A lot of the Senate Dems have fallen under the Governor’s spell and are starting to believe that massive across the board cuts, huge redistributions, cuts to physician training (in the midst of a doctor shortage crisis) and a $300 million tax on health care collectively amount to ‘reform’ or ‘an investment into primary care,'” said HANYS spokesman William Van Slyke.

“They need to realize this budget is a wolf in sheep’s clothing that would decimate health care jobs and services in their home districts. We’re just trying to get their attention before they make a terrible mistake that their constituents won’t forgive.”

The strategy makes sense — the Assembly has a nearly-invulnerable majority; Gov. David Paterson has put his neck out calling for health care cuts and Silver retains his position as the strongest man in the room by keeping on a weak governor (as opposed to a strong future Gov. Andrew Cuomo?). The Senate, which could still flip back to Republicans in 2010, is the weakest link, and presumably the easiest to break.